SLM: Your last run in the vert competition was flawless, take us through it.

PLG: Well, I really had one subtle flaw before the 720 in that run, but I was really happy with the ending. I went switch heelflip frontside air to switch heel 360 to nollie heel 360, I’ve never done that before.

SLM: (Scratches head for a moment, pairing the skater lingo with what we just saw on the ramp) Well, how did it compare to other runs you've had?

PLG: That’s really the run I’ve been looking for all year and it finally worked out so I’m psyched.

SLM: Are you looking to do pull it off again in Las Vegas (the next top on the Dew Tour)?

PLG: Definitely. I’m trying to better that run though; you do it once, and then you’re trying to improve it. So I definitely want to start off with that run in Vegas and then hopefully do something a little bit better.

We also got a question in for Bucky Lasek, who took third place in Saturday's vert competition:

SLM: You look so chill up on the ramp. How do you stay relaxed before you drop in?

BL: If I stress myself out, it doesn’t do me any good. If you think about skating, about competing too much, it’ll drive you crazy. If I think about it at night, when I try to go through my runs in my head I’ll keep falling and have to start over so it gets kind of stressful. When it comes to riding, there’s just nothing you can do about it until you’re in the moment and you just need to let it go. So, no stress.

When SLmag spoke to Gagnon before the finals and asked him about his biggest weakness, he pondered for a moment and responded, “I dunno, I don’t like to think about that stuff.” PLG’s ridiculous finals run, which earned him a 94 on the scoreboard, reinforced the skateboarder's mantra: "think happy thoughts." It seems that Bucky holds to the same philosophy.